GMB Saxon infantry flags

GMB 1811-issue flags for the Prinz Maximilian regiment (B&W image)

I’ve had my samples of the new 28mm Saxon line infantry flags from GMB since July and my orignal plan was to couple a review of them with some detailed historical background information. Two things threw a spanner in the works. The first was the inevitable intrusion of real life in the form of the Summer holidays; the second was a realization that the history of these flags from 1811 onwards is complex and obscure.

So I’m only going to tackle the easy, undisputed bit of the history of these flags in this posting: in 1807, King Friedrich Augustus ordered new flags for his line infantry regiments. It wasn’t however, until 16th July 1811 that he was able to formally present these new colours to the line infantry regiments in a ceremony at Muhlberg. Following re-organization of the army, each of the eight regiments of line infantry comprised two battalions of musketeers and two companies of grenadiers. A flag was presented to each of the 16 battalions of musketeers. The first battalion of each regiment received an Leibfahne (white background); the second battalion of each regiment received an Ordinarfahne (background in regimental facing colour).

If it wasn’t for the 1812 campaign in Russia, then the story of these flags would have probably remained quite simple. However, by the time the remnants of the Saxon army limped home, according to most sources, ten of the 16 flags had been lost. Piecing together which ones, where they were lost, what happened to them and, crucially, whether and how they were replaced in time for the 1813 campaign is where the complexities lie.

Now Peter F. and I are (with the help of several kind correspondents) slowly researching these questions and we hope to soon have access to several of the most reputable sources on the subject. In the meantime, Grahame’s first batch of flags cover those issued in 1811, so it seems suitable to press on with a short review of them here.

Above you can see a picture (converted to black and white to avoid naughty people exploiting Grahame’s hard work) of Pack SA5 which includes both the Leibfahne and the Ordinarfahne for the Prinz Maximilian regiment. The other packs cover 1811-issue flags the other seven line infantry regiments and there’s a gap in the numbering sequence which I presume is for the Lieb Grenadiers. In due course, I think Grahame hopes to make more flags to cover those issued to regiments that lost theirs in Russia.

The regimental facing colours were red, blue, green and yellow and interpretation of the precise shade is open to some conjecture in each case. For example, Grahame has chosen a darker mustardy yellow for the Prinz Maximilian regiment whereas, given the choice, I would have opted for a paler shade. That’s based on having sight of plates from Hottenroth’s 1910 book Geschichte der sächsischen Fahnen und Standarten (more of which on another occasion). But that’s a minor quibble and a personal preference.

There is, though, one historical error common to all the flags in this batch: the reverse and obverse of the flags are swapped the wrong way round. To be fair to Grahame, this is something he knows about and I know he’s been doing some soul searching about whether he should correct it. On the one hand, he’s as much a seeker of historical accuracy as Peter F.; on the other hand, he was a little worried about having to deal with customers who believe widely available English language sources that have perpetuated this error. I’m sure Grahame will read this and let me know which route he intends to follow. Plus, chances are that few people who look at your Saxon battalions won’t be knowledgeable enough to spot the mistake. Just don’t invite Peter F, Grahame or me to inspect your troops

Even German sources vary about some of the smaller precise details of the flags and the only way to be sure would be to be able to inspect the originals (where they still exist). So Grahame has had to make choices about which sources to follow – a tough decision because these are peculiarly detailed flags with many file details and variations. All of which also calls for a high level of draftsmanship and that’s where Grahame really excels. As usual with his products, the amount of detail that he packs into an area less than 30mm by 30mm is astounding.

So, overall then, Grahame’s produced a set of flags that uphold GMB’s reputation for making the best 28mm Napoleonic wargames flags on the market. And, barring minor issues, he’s achieved this while having to wrestle not only with the complexity of the design of these flags but the obscurity of historically accurate data.

Andrea Miniatures white paint set

Andrea Miniatures white paint set

I decided to take up Harry the Elder’s suggestion to try Andrea Miniatures for my white palette. Specifically he suggested their set of six white paints. Originally, I had hoped to be able to buy them at Partizan last weekend but nobody was selling them (at least as far as I could see). So I did a bit of online research and ordered a set from Historex Agents.

I have to commend the customer service from Historex – an e-mail acknowledgement of receipt of my order was followed by another e-mail yesterday afternoon to tell me that the order had been dispatched. And the package arrived at my work address (much more convenient than delivery to my home address) this morning. Needless to say I spent the rest of the working day sniffing the paint bottles and itching to get home to try them.

The set comes in a neat little box and comprises six (did I say that already?) little 17ml dropper bottles (similar to the Vallejo ones) of paint. There’s a base colour (which I’d call a pale umber if I was confident I knew what umber looked like), two shadow colours that move towards grey and three highlight colours, the lightest of which is pure white. Five of these six colours, as far as I can tell, are not available as part of the Andrea range of paints sold individually (the exception being the pure white).

Now six layers of colour is overkill on a 28mm figure, even for me! So I lined them up on the table and tried to narrow it down to four while I made a cup of tea. The second shadow and the third highlight (i.e. the white) were obvious bookend choices and I settled on the first shadow and the second highlight to go in between them. Then it was down to painting, albeit just a tiny area of a Saxon coat. So these are very much first impressions and I’ll be able to provide more accurate comments once I’ve used the paints more extensively.

Firstly, I often have to give a new bottle of Vallejo paint a stern shake to reintegrate the pigment with the carrier. With these Andrea paints, there was little or no evidence of separation but I did give them a quick shake just in case. The consistency (and smell and taste) is very similar to Vallejo acrylics. Having said that, some Vallejos go chalky once you get them out on the palette, dilute them to painting consistency and begin brushwork. This is a problem that I often experience with Vallejo white so I was keen to assess reports I’d heard of the smoothness of the Andrea white. And, yes, it’s very good. Moreover, all four shades that I tried demonstrated consistency of consistency, if you see what I mean. That sort of thing is important to me because it means I can confidently predict how the paint will thin down and behave when I work with it.

Coverage seems to be good, though I did over-thin a couple of the colours tonight so I’ll have to check that more thoroughly in a lengthier painting session at the weekend. Drying time feels about the same as the Vallejos and all four shades dried nice and matt (one of the things I dislike about the Foundry paints is that they dry with a sheen and feel plasticky – almost like working with Dulux Vinyl Silk rather than a matt acrylic).

Overall, then, a very promising initial outing and, fingers crossed, I appear to have solved my white palette problem. Given that I made successful adjustments to my light blue and green palettes earlier this week, it’s about to be all systems go for painting my first Saxon battalion. And I know one figure scupltor / painter who’ll be smiling at the fact that this Andrea white paint set has more than a hint of umber to it.

I’ll post some photos of applied paint in due course but, in the meantime, it’s worth noting that Andrea do several other six-paint sets for black, flesh, red and blue.

Review: Elite 1806-09 Saxons by Dean Burke

Dean's Elite Miniatures Saxon

Slightly overdue, here’s the next in BfK’s occasional series of guest contributions and reviews. This time, the topic is Elite’s 1806-09 Saxon figures and the guest is Dean Burke. Dean is one of a number of BfK’s antipodean followers and hails from Wellington, New Zealand and I’m really delighted to know that this blog seems so popular in such far-flung parts of the world.

Dean sent quite a number of photos to go with his words and I’ve had hard job narrowing down the choice to a representative one to include here. All the figures were converted and painted by Dean himself. So, without further ado, Dean writes…

The Elite Figures are interesting. I think they are an excellent illustration of figures that bridged the gap from the older ranges, compared to high standard of figures on the market today. While they lacked detail gamers alike have always agreed that ‘en masse’ these figures presented well. I have always been interested in the Saxon forces, particularly their involvement in the 1809 campaign. So a couple of years back I purchased these Elite figures to see what they were like. It is fair to say that my first impressions were lukewarm. Compared to the figures from the Perry’s, Front Rank and Calpe, these figures lacked detail, and only had a couple of stances.

After purchasing Kevin Dalimore’s book I decided to explore how I could adapt and add greater detail to these figures. I needed to alter my painting technique to cover anomalies in the figures. To provide additional detail I added bedrolls, canteens and canes and halberd’s for NCO’s (despite halberd’s being removed from service by 1809). Consistent with trends today, I also wanted to give some of the figures a campaign feel. I did this by adapting several figures with overalls and greatcoats, assisted by a Saxon trend to tuck their greatcoat’s in to their tails. Lastly I added an oilskin cover to one of the Grenadiers, along with bicornes that various sources illustrate carried on their backs while in the field.

Personally I feel that the exercise was a success, with the only negative being the static nature of the figures, due to the single pose, but none-the-less satisfying. It is a great reminder, and certainly makes you
appreciate the quality figures that we have access today.

I think Dean’s view of the Elite figures is close to my own. They don’t really stack up against my favourites (like Calpe) and the range of poses is restrictive. Still, I know some people really love them and Dean’s shown a great deal of creativity to get the most from these figures.

Painting Miniatures by Danilo Cartacci

Painting Miniatures by Danilo Cartacci

I don’t paint larger scale miniatures but I do appreciate the artistry of those who work at 54mm and above. I also think that although the tools and techniques for 28mm miniatures are different, there’s often much to learn and admire from those people who create such display case masterpieces.

One of the most celebrated such artists (and I choose that word deliberately) is the Italian painter Danilo Cartacci who, among other things, is the virtual house painter for Pegaso Models. His creations have won shelf-fuls of awards at international shows for many years and I’m delighted to say that he often chooses Napoloenic subjects. In 2007, Auriga Publishing published Danilo’s book Painting Miniatures in English, Italian and (I think) German editions. The print run was limited but that only enhanced the sought-after status of the book and it’s currently out of print. However, I was recently able to acquire a mint condition copy of the English language edition and it now has pride of place as my favourite bedside reading / eye candy.

The book is an A4 softback of over 120 pages and Danilo takes a logical route through how he tackles many of the most demanding aspects of figure painting – flesh, clothing, metallics, uniform markings, chivalry, flags, natural materials like leather and fur and horses. Each section is generously illustrated with step by step colour photographs and precise details of the paints, brushes and other materials or tools used. No secrets are held back. Choices of paints, brushes, tools, putties. lighting are all discussed in detail and the last 20-odd pages are given over to a breathtaking gallery of completed works.

Throughout, the production values, design and photography in the book put other hobby titles to shame. If I have one criticism, it’s that some of the translation from Italian to English gets me scratching my head. But it doesn’t take too long to work out that “veils” should have ben translated as “washes” and so on.

Hopefully a reprint will be on the cards so that more people can enjoy and learn from this Italian master.